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Tallneck
The Tallneck is a category of machine in Horizon Zero Dawn. A Communications Class machine, the Tallneck is unique in that it is the only known machine of this class, is not hostile to humans, is by far the largest known contemporary machine, and is the only known machine that is equipped with a protective energy shield. A human with the necessary technology can override a Tallneck upon climbing to the top of its head to reveal details and locations of structures, machine site, human settlements and other points of interest over a vast area. See also: Tallneck (Activity) History The Nora Brave Aloy knew of the existence of Tallnecks from her guardian Rost. In her journeys through the various tribal lands, she discovered the existence of six Tallmecks. In the case of five of them, her Focus alerted her to the presence of one in the vicinity by a signal it emitted. Using this signal, she was able to find it, climb up to and atop its head and override it to gain useful information regarding the locations of points of interest in the region. In the case of the sixth, which had lain disabled and offline for decades in the Banuk region known as The Cut, Aloy was able to find and reinstall its missing scavenged parts and then bring it back online. Appearance Though its appearance bears a similarity to that of a sauropod, its lack of a tail and its long legs make a Tallneck also resemble an enormous giraffe. Unlike any other machine, Tallnecks have no optical sensors. Their heads are broad, flat and circular, resembling aircraft-mounted radar, with a data node on the top center that can be used as an access point for overriding. Several long structures, presumably antennae, project from the back of the neck. These may be used to climb up to the Tallneck's head to access the data node. Four tail-like structures, possibly other antennae, are mounted in pairs on the posterior. Each of the machine's four huge feet are composed of several toe-like structures. These mold themselves to the shape of the ground, giving the Tallneck its characteristic surefooted gait. Behavior Tallnecks are completely solitary, never congregating or encountering each other. Utilizing their slow, steady, surefooted gait, each one continuously walks an unvarying circuitous path in its particular region, functioning as a communications center. Each Tallneck emits a signal that a Focus can detect. Aloy surmised that machines use Tallnecks for long distance communication. However humans with the necessary technological prowess can presumably also use them to create a vast Focus communications network. The Shadow Carja cult known as the Eclipse seemed to have established their Focus network by anchoring the network's communication signals to the five Tallnecks that were known to be active in the regions in which they operated. The sheer vastness of the area revealed upon overriding a Tallneck suggests that they are able to receive and transmit signals over extremely long distances, facilitating the long-distance communication that was integral to many Eclipse operations. Tallnecks are not hostile to humans; they appear to be completely oblivious to their surroundings, save for the path they constantly follow. If they are aware, they certainly have no visible reaction, appearing to disregard everything from battles to animals, humans or machines that wander into their path. However, while a Tallneck itself is harmless to humans, the area around its path may be infested with dangerous machines that will attack humans on sight. Indeed, Aloy first had to clear a path through hostiles in order to reach a position from which she could climb onto and atop a Tallneck to override it. Abilities A Tallneck's entire chassis is covered by heavy armor plating and protected by an energy shield. This shield is invisible, but its presence is manifested when a Tallneck is shot at or a melee attack is attempted against it; the shield deflects any ranged or melee attack. This makes the Tallneck impervious to all known attacks. Indeed, the only force known to have disabled a Tallneck was the series of lightning strikes that hit the one in the Frostfigures area of The Cut, decades prior to the visit by the Nora Brave Aloy to the region. Even so, nearly all of its systems remained fully serviceable although the Tallneck’s chassis lay exposed to the many seasons of ice and snow. When Aloy reinstalled its missing components and brought it back online, it rose and walked as if it had never been disabled. Components Trivia * Tallnecks were one of the first machines revealed to the public, seen as early as the conceptual stages of the game's design, and unlike the Thunderjaw, they saw very little change. Despite this, Tallnecks initially resembled sauropods. * During the game's development, Tallnecks were referred to as "Comm giraffes."GDC 2017 presentation by Guerrilla Games, "Creating a Tools Pipeline for Horizon Zero Dawn" * The Tallneck's walking pattern of lifting both its fore and hind legs on the same side at the same time is based the giraffe's gait. * Tallnecks were originally designed to be killable. However, Guerrilla Games decided against this, feeling that it would be against Aloy's character to kill a peaceful machine. Gallery Tallneck 1.jpg Thunderjaw 2.jpg Broadhead-1.jpg Hacking-A-Tallneck.jpg|Overriding a Tallneck Hacking-A-Tallneck2.jpg|Extracting Info from a Tallneck Rapelling-Tallneck.jpg|Rappelling from a Tallneck File:IMG_0153.jpg|Concept art of Aloy joining tribespeople in taking down a Tallneck References ru:Длинношей de:Langhals fr:Grand-cou Category:Machines Category:Communication Class Category:PSI Override Category:No Vulnerability Category:Shock Resistance Category:Fire Resistance Category:Freeze Resistance Category:Large Sized Machines